Donald Trump had a better debate in St. Louis Sunday night than he did the last time he squared off against Hillary Clinton, agreed two past presidential candidates who judged the showdown for Newsmax.

The embattled Republican nominee may have staved off calls that he quit the ticket over revelations of the now-storied tape of him eleven years ago, the duo of past candidates agreed. But whether he made any progress against Clinton from the second of their three debates, they felt, remains to be seen.

"Trump did much better than the first and probably kills the 'drop out of the race' campaign," said former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D.-Neb.), who was one of the leading rivals to Bill Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992.

Kerrey, who also served as governor of the Cornhusker State, also told us he felt Trump "is no longer drowning but that actually might be very good for Hillary, who does not want him replaced."

Kerrey's conclusion that Trump's place as the Republican nominee for president was now secure was echoed by Wisconsin's former Gov. Tommy Thompson, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in 2008.

"Voters will now need to decide who they will forgive," Thompson told Newsmax.

"Hillary Clinton, and her repeated unethical, corrupt and dishonest actions or, Donald Trump and his embarrassing personal actions — for which he has both accepted responsibility and apologized for."

Thompson, who also served as secretary of health and human services under President George W. Bush, felt that viewers on Sunday saw "two candidates making two very different cases to earn the support of the American people. A tempered Donald Trump made the case that our country has experienced a no-growth economy, [pointed out] the failures of Obamacare and [said] that we now live in a country where we lead the world in the one area we shouldn't, tax rates.

He also felt that "Clinton's single anthem is that past behaviors disqualify Trump, perhaps the greatest irony of the night."

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax.

Donald Trump had a better debate in St. Louis Sunday night than he did the last time he squared off against Hillary Clinton, agreed two past presidential candidates who judged the showdown for Newsmax.